Speech #770132599

Sections 1. 3. 8. and 9 deal with national defense. sections 4. 7. and 10 represent certain desirable changes. and sections 2. 5. 6. 11. and 12 involve grammatical and typographical corrections. Section 1 provides that an alien applicant for citizenship who is in the milita*ry or naval forces of the United States shall not be required to reside for 6 months prior to filing his petition in the State in which the .petition is to be filed. In other words. he may file his petition in any naturalization court where he happens to be located in connection with his military service. In the interest of unity of American citizenship. it is provided that aliens who are 50 years of age or over Tnay be naturalized without being required to speak the English language. sign his petition in his own handwriting or meet other educational tests if they have valid outstanding declarations of intention to become citizens or make such declarations within 2 years after the enactment of the act and provided they have been resident aliens of the United States since prior to July 1. 1924. Most of the persons affected by this section will be elderly folks who were lawfully admitted to the United States prior to the time literacy was a .condition of admission to the country. They must prove good character. loyalty. and meet all other requirements for naturalization. Section 8 gives the Government authority to revoke the citizenship of a naturalized -person on the ground that his conduct establishes that his political allegiance is to a foreign state or sovereignty. This will materially aid the Government in taking away the citizenship of disloyal naturalized. persons who have acquired United States citizenship. It will not only take away their citizenship but as to alien enemies it will give the Government jurisdiction over such persons in times of war or national emergency. In other words. they may be incarcerated. kept under strict surveillance. or required to meet such other conditions as the Government may set forth. which would not be possible if they retained citizenship. Section 9 speeds up the process of revocation of citizenship. It reduces the period from 60 to 30 days in which a person whose cancelation of naturalization is sought may be permitted to answer. Section 4 merely extends the date of the socalled misinformation clause from July 1. 1920. to July 1. 1925. Under existing law. an alien who resided in the United States continuously from July 1. 1915. to July 1. 1920. and who. during or prior to that period. in the mistaken belief that he was a citizen. exercised or performed the rights or duties of citizenship. may become a naturalized citizen of the United States without making a preliminary declaration of intention. The proposed amendment would change existing law by making the required time of residence the 5year period from July 1. 1920. to July 1. 1925. This result seems desirable inasmuch as there appear to be some women who. although they lived in the United States from 1915 to 1920. were unable during that period to exercise certain privileges of citizenship. such as the right to vote. due to the fact that women were not enfranchised until after August 26 1920. the effective date of the nineteenth amendment. Moreover. the date of July 1. 1925. appears to be sufficiently remote to preclude abuse of the provisions of this section. Section 7 merely reduces the period from 60 to 30 days prior to general elections in which persons may be naturalized. Experience shows that there is no particular reason why a period of 60 days should elapse before a general election. Furthermore. so many types. of elections have been held to be general elections that the naturalization process is greatly retarded. Section 10 would amend section 338 of the Nationality Act of 1940 (54 Stat. 1158). which relates to revocation of naturalization. by adding a new subsection which would permit the United States to maintain an action for the cancelation of the certificates of naturalization of those persons who lose their nationality by reason of residence abroad. While section 404 of the Nationality Act. which relates to loss of nationality as a result of residence abroad. is selfoperative. it appears to be desirable in the interest of the Government to permit it to secure a court decree making such loss of nationality a matter of judicial record. Section 2. like the remaining sections discussed herein. merely makes desirable grammatical and typographical corrections.